Community leaders react to mayor's speech

NEWS COVERAGE

Ruben Barrales, president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce:

"Even though we are in the midst of a fiscal and economic crisis, he's able to point the way toward job creation, fiscal reform and growth for San Diego. I think his strength is in working with council members to get things done. "

Leo Wilson, chair of Uptown Planners community group:

"He changed the Band-Aid again. We've had an open financial wound for the last four or five years since he's been mayor and each of his speeches is 'Gee, we need to do something about this,' but nothing is ever proposed. So you put a clean Band-Aid on the dirty Band-Aid, and he did it again. He said he will have a plan in the next 18 months. This would have been right moment to present that plan. I just was disappointed. We need action now. And we are not getting it. He left the door open in the next 18 months. That's like saying 'Here is your new Band-Aid.' When are you ever going to schedule the operation? Maybe in the next 18 months."

Lorena Gonzalez, secretary-treasurer/CEO of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council:

"It's the State of the City address I most agree with. We are in a recession. I think the way that we are going to get out of the recession is by expanding our tax base. When you create middle class jobs, you actually expand the tax base. When you create a thousand middle class jobs, you expand it by $24 million. He talked about ways we can do that by building projects like expanding the Convention Center, a new city Hall, a possible stadium. These are ways that will actually help us grow out of this recession and create middle class jobs. I absolutely agree with the mayor that big projects are going to help get us out of this recession and as long as we have provisions for these big projects for local workers to ensure it's local San Diegans who will be doing work on those projects, and we are truly creating middle class jobs, I think it's the best way to get us out of this recession at this point."

Lani Lutar, president and CEO of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association

"I don't think there are any major surprises. Our biggest disappointment is there wasn't further emphasis on continuing pension reform. In fact, he spoke about the issue as if pension reform has essentially been achieved and has been completed, when that simply isn't true."